Someone in this forum expressed some concerns about germs on the ships. This is my take on it. The media has, as usual, caused more hipe and unecessary state of panic over this to all of the innocent travelers out there, it's more than ridiculous. Yes, it's good to stay informed, but there are more people dying out there from the flu (approx 35,000/yr)and it's obviously very contagious, yet no alarms go off on the evening news about it. These sicknesses the travelers are experiencing could be one of MANY factors. 1. Having a low immune system from a previous illness 2. Eating foods they know or may not know are not necessarily agreeable to their system, and I'm not talking about food poisoning either. 3. Sunburns can cause dehydration and severe nausea, people are getting burned all the time on these ships without taking any special precautions. Alcohol can also dehydrate, mix that in with a bake in the sun and your well done. I was very surprised to see that the ships gift shops were only selling suntan lotions with 8 spf protection, not nearly enough protection needed to avoid a sunburn or an existing one. There was no variety to choose from either. Take my advise, bring your own, it will cost much less too 4. Undetected motion sickness. It's awfully brave of you to get on that boat without taking any special precautions, but I was nearly born on a boat myself and never had motion sickness, but when your sailing the high seas, even I can get queasy. Take Bonine or Dramamine, it's much better to be safe than sorry than risk ruining your trip with your head hanging over a toilet or a visit to the doc on board. There's no side effects to the many options available, except maybe slight drowsiness but I think Meclizine, the key ingredient in Bonine is a non-drowsy formula and you only have to take 1 a day 5. And of course, last but not least, improper hand washing. Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. I laugh when I see these people overseas wearing the masks as a prevention to SARS. First of all, the masks they are wearing are permeable. There are special masks to prevent these contagious droplets, and no one over there is wearing them. Washing your hands and being more conscientious of your surroundings is your safest bet, whether your on a ship or in your own home. I do commend RCCL. On my last cruise, the staff was constantly cleaning hand railings, door knobs, elevator buttons and so on, thru the entire cruise. Washing the hands is the simplest solution. Don't worry, be prepared and most of all......ENJOY YOUR CRUISE!!!

Someone in this forum expressed some concerns about germs on the ships. This is my take on it. The media has, as usual, caused more hipe and unecessary state of panic over this to all of the innocent travelers out there, it's more than ridiculous. Yes, it's good to stay informed, but there are more people dying out there from the flu (approx 35,000/yr)and it's obviously very contagious, yet no alarms go off on the evening news about it. These sicknesses the travelers are experiencing could be one of MANY factors. 1. Having a low immune system from a previous illness 2. Eating foods they know or may not know are not necessarily agreeable to their system, and I'm not talking about food poisoning either. 3. Sunburns can cause dehydration and severe nausea, people are getting burned all the time on these ships without taking any special precautions. Alcohol can also dehydrate, mix that in with a bake in the sun and your well done. I was very surprised to see that the ships gift shops were only selling suntan lotions with 8 spf protection, not nearly enough protection needed to avoid a sunburn or an existing one. There was no variety to choose from either. Take my advise, bring your own, it will cost much less too 4. Undetected motion sickness. It's awfully brave of you to get on that boat without taking any special precautions, but I was nearly born on a boat myself and never had motion sickness, but when your sailing the high seas, even I can get queasy. Take Bonine or Dramamine, it's much better to be safe than sorry than risk ruining your trip with your head hanging over a toilet or a visit to the doc on board. There's no side effects to the many options available, except maybe slight drowsiness but I think Meclizine, the key ingredient in Bonine is a non-drowsy formula and you only have to take 1 a day 5. And of course, last but not least, improper hand washing. Wash your hands, wash your hands, wash your hands. I laugh when I see these people overseas wearing the masks as a prevention to SARS. First of all, the masks they are wearing are permeable. There are special masks to prevent these contagious droplets, and no one over there is wearing them. Washing your hands and being more conscientious of your surroundings is your safest bet, whether your on a ship or in your own home. I do commend RCCL. On my last cruise, the staff was constantly cleaning hand railings, door knobs, elevator buttons and so on, thru the entire cruise. Washing the hands is the simplest solution. Don't worry, be prepared and most of all......ENJOY YOUR CRUISE!!!